Exploration: Ogoni Oil Bearing Communities Opt For Indigenous Firm

Oil-bearing communities in Ogoniland of Rivers State have adopted an indigenous company, Ogoni Royal Resources and Energy Limited, to operate the Ogoni oil fields located within the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11.

The adoption followed a motion moved by a prominent community leader in the area, Chief Sylvester Kogbara, during a meeting of Ogoni oil producing communities, at Kpite, in Tai local government area of the State.

The meeting was attended by representatives of oil bearing communities in Eleme, Gokana, Khana and Tai LGAs of the state.

Kogbara said: “That the Ogoni Royal Resources and Energy Limited has been adopted as the only indigenous company to mine, process, export and extract oil and gas from Ogoniland. I so move.”

In his address at the meeting, President of Ogoni Oil Bearing Communities (OOBC), Chief Donald Gberesuu, described as ‘unfortunate’, the plights and act of marginalisation of the oil bearing communities in the area in the scheme of things perpetrated by certain Ogonis he’s described as ‘greedy’ and the Nigerian government.

Gberesuu said: “The plights and act of marginalisation of the Ogoni Oil Bearing Communities in the scheme things by certain greedy Ogonis and the Nigerian State, is quite unfortunate.

“The oil bearing communities are not subservient and shall not relegate our responsibilities to middlemen and interrupters who are fronting greed and usurpation of common opportunities.

“The Ogoni oil bearing communities hold title to our lands as individuals and as community who should decide the usage of their land, in respect of the oil beneath.”